Display rack



A. REINES DISPLAY RACK Aug. 3 1926.

Fi l, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mwmram .-l TTORNE LY A. REINES DISPLAY RACKAug 3 1926.

Fil August 4, 1923 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR m Vn 7% A I I ORNEYTPatented Aug. 3, 1926.

. UNHTED STATES V 1,594,154 PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR BEINES, OF ASBlIRY PARK, NEW JERSEY.

mm nacx.

Application filed August 4, 1923. Serial No. 655,580.

This invention relates to display racks, and pertains especially tothose adapted to exhibit postcards, artcards, photographs, printedmatter and the like, and has for its objects the provision of anunusually simple construction which makes for cheapness, compactness andsturdiness; the provision of means for retaining the articles to bedisplayed without obscuring any portion thereof; the provision of meansfor readily adjusting the size of the rack to fit various sized cards;and the provision of means for the individual adjustment of the angle ofelevation of each tray of the rack.

Display racks of the types herein set forth are primarily intended to besupported on a wall or on a counter in a con spicuous place, wherecustomers may inspect and select the articles of their choice.. It isobviously of importance, therefore, that the contents be entirely inview to eliminate unnecessary handling and soiling and at the same timeto have the rack designed to hold a sufficient stock in the most compactmanner.

' In accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention a rackis provided which is made of the fewest ssible number of separate partsand w ich may be easily assembled at small cost. Such an embodimentconsists in a back member and two end pieces made of suitable materialsuch as sheet metal, the endpieces supporting a series of rods uponwhichare pivoted the display trays, which may be of the same material. as theback and end pieces, and arranged in step-like formation. Each tray maythus be independently tilted forward or backward on its individual axleor pivoted rod, and set at any desired angle of elevation, in order thatthe contents of the rack may be'displayed in the most advantageous.manner. Each tray is further provided with-a wing bent at 90 to thebottom of the tray at each end. These wings carry indentations formed inthe arc of a circleand are arranged so as to engage 1protrusions.

. frictionall with corresponding 9 on the en pieces of the rack, a owingthe angular adjustment of the tray to be fixed as desired. The frontof'each tray, instead .of being of metal or other opaque material, asprevious types havedis'closed, is of glass or other transparentmaterial, which may be readily su ported in a trough in the front edgeof e tray bottom, into which the.

price mark clip transparent front may be slipped and easily removedagain for cleaning or replacement. The value of this transparent frontis ob- VlOllS, since it may be high enough to elimihate the possibilityof the contained matter falling out and yet not obscure the matter inany Way. It is desirable that cards or other matter of various sizes maybe held with a minimum of waste space, and to this end there have beenprovided movable partitions which may be of any suitable material butwhichare preferably formed from asingle piece of sheet metal. Thesepartiytions, being of a very simple construction, as 7 later describedin detail, have been found to be particularly suited for use with therack disclosed herein.

A more complete understanding of the invention may be had from thefollowing 7 description of preferred embodiments as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings,

in which- Fig. l; is a perspective view of one form of a completedisplay rack;

. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modification of the rack shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 3' is a vertical section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and showsin detail the one-piece construction of the trays,'means for supportingthe transparent front pieces, and -means for -supporting theadjustablepartitions; I

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and shows indetail'the construction of a type of rack having individu:

ally adjustable trays together with the transparent front pieces andadjustable partitions: v

Fig. ,5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing one methodof mount-. ing the individually adjustable trays and means formaintaining the angular adjustment of the trays;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an adjustable partition showing itssimplified onepiece construction;

- Fig. 7 is a perspective view'of a movable suitable for use with therack described.

Referring now to Figs. 1,. 4 and5, there is shown a form of rack whichhas been found to be exceedingly adaptable for many varieties of displaypurposes. The frame of the rack, composed of a back piece and two sidepieces 8, is'preferabl formed from a single piece of sheetmeta vIn theend pivoted thus allowing each tray to be inependently' swung forward orbackward. The trays are arranged in step-like formation sometimesreferred to as in echelon.

Each of these trays is also preferabl formed from a single piece ofsheet meta and in this embodiment each tray comprises a back wall'member2, a bottom 1, and a supporting trough 3, into which may he slipped thetransparent front member 4 and the wing portion 12. Stamped into thiswing portion is a series of indentations'13 arrangedcin the arc of acircle concentric *with the rod v10. The wing portion is substantiallyat 90 to the tray bottom 1, and is so positioned as to press against endpiece 8 of the frame. A series of protrusions 14 in the end piece, alsoconcentric with rod 10, is located so as to engage frictionallykwith thecorresponding series of indentations 13, thus functioning as a means formaintaining any desired angular adjustment of the trays.

The perspective view of a suitable movable partition element shown inFig. 6 illus tratesa preferred embodiment of that element as beingformed from a sin le piece of sheetmetal so bent as to inclu e a partition portion 14, a back or strengthenin portion 18 bent at 90 to theportion 17, an a hook portion '15 adapted to be hung over the top of theback wall member 2 of the I tray, as shown at 7 in Figs. 1 and 4:. The

hook portion is adapted to be forced between the glass 4 and front edgeof the supporting trough 3, thus maintaining the partition in a fixedposition and at the same time insuring firm support for the transparentfrontin its supporting trough. Obviously a number of these partitions,may be placed at various intervals so at to accommodate cards or othermatter of different sizes.

The price mark clip 16 illustrated in Fig. 7 is shown clipped over atransparent front 4 in Fig. 3} This simple form of removable clip hasbeen found to be particularly suitable for use with the rack disclosedherein;

and bent as to form the bottoms 1 and backs 2 of the longitudinal traysas well as the troughs 3'holding and supporting the transparent fronts4, which may be of glass or other suitable transparent material. It willbe observed that in this modification the sides 8 are cut away'so as notto be self-supporting, the legs 9 serving to support the rear of therack'and also servingto allow a variation in angular adjustment of therack having identations which cooperate withas awhole. The trays arearranged in steps or echelon, the bottoms being at different levels andeach bottom substantially horizontal; In this embodiment, aswell as inthe one first described, the backs 2 (Fig. 3) are preferably not at 90to the bottoms as has been the past practice, but are at a greater anglesuflicient to cause the cards or other matter to lean backwards awayfromthe transparent fronts.

It is tobe understood that the foregoing description of preferredembodiments is not at all to limit the spirit or scope of thisinvention, as man modifications will at once be apparent to t oseskilled in the art.

1. A display rack includin a tray formed of a single sheet of'malleabl ematerial and having a back and a shelf extending substantially at rightangles to each other, a portion depending from said shelf doubled backupon itself to define a trough, and a transparent front supported insaid trough in substantially parallel relation to said back andextending substantially above and below the plane of said shelf wherebysaid front is solely supported.

2. In a displa rack comprising a series the plane of said shelf, and apartition element frictionally engaging the upper ortion of said backand extending .at right angles to said back and shelf. I

3. In combination, a display rack comprising a series of trays arrangedin echelon and enclosed by end pieces having protrusions thereon, eachof said trays being formed from. a single sheet of metal andindependently rotatable upon a horizontal axis supported in said endpieces, each tray including a trough formed integral with and atthefront edge of the bottom'thereof, a front of transparent material ineach of said troughs, wings on each end of said trays disposedsubstantially at 90 to the bottoms of said trays parallel to said endpieces and said corresponding protrusions on said end pieces formaintaining a given angular adjustment of said trays wlth respect tosaid rack," and a one-piece partition element adjustable lengthwisealong at least one of said trays and suspended by means of an lntegralhook portion from the front wall of one of said troughs.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ARTHUR REINES in substantially parallel relation to said-back andextending substantially above and below

